Freight car truck with coil-elliptic springs



March 3, 1936.

E. w. WEBB 2,032,604 FREIGHT CAR TRUCK WITHCOIL ELLIPTIC SPRINGS FiledApril 25, 1952 r 3 Sheets-Sheet l ii gm March 3, 1936. E w WEBB IFREIGHT CAR TRUCK WITH COIL ELLIPTIC SPRINGS Filed April 25, 1932 5Sheets-Sheet 2 .lllllllzl March 3, 1936. E. w. WEBB 2,032,604

FREIGHT CAR TRUCK WITH COIL ELLIPTIC SPRINGS Filed April 25, 1932 :5Sheets-Sheet s Patented Mar. 3, 1936 PATENT OFFICE FREIGHT CAR TRUCKWITH GOIL-ELLIITIO smmos Edwin W. Webb, Chicago, Ill., assignor toStandard Car Truck Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New JerseyApplication April 25, 1932, Serial No. 607,303

9 Claims.

This invention has for its object to provide efflcient and simple meansfor breaking up or minimizing spring harmonics in freight car trucks;and to this end the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and pointed out in theclaims.

The invention, in its preferred forms, is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein '15 like notations refer to like partsthrough the several views. In said drawings;

Fig. 1 is a view chiefly in side elevation but partly in verticalsection, with some portions broken away, illustrating the centralportion of 15' one end of a car truck having the invention hereindisclosed and claimed embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in verticalsection, taken on the irregular line 2-'-2 of Fig. 1;

20 Fig. 3 is a view approximately in horizontal section on the irregularline 3-3 of Fig 1, with some parts broken away.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating a modificationwherein full elliptic springs 25 are employed;

Fig. 5 is a view chiefly in vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4,but with some parts shown infull and some parts broken away; and Fig. 6is a plan view of a portion of the spring plank 3 shown in Figs. 4 and5.

The numeral 4 represents the compression member, 5 the tensionmember,and 6 the column members of one of the side frames of the truck. Saidcolumn members 6 have their lower portions cut away to afford lateralpassages I, for a purpose which will presently appear. The numeral 8represents the spring-plank connecting the opposite side frames of thetruck in the usual way. The numeral 9 represents the truck bolsterworking in the bolster opening between the upper portions of the opositebolster columns 6. The under faces of the end portions of this bolster 9are provided with roller bearing surfaces ill, for a purpose which willpresently ap- 45 pear. In Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the numerals II andI! represent, respectively, the leaves and the bands of sets ofsemi-elliptic leaf springs. The semi-elliptic leaf springs extendlengthwise of the'side frames, across the bolster opening, with 50 theirend portions extending'through the lateral passages I of the bolstercolumns and supported from the tension member 5 of the side frame. Asshown in Fig. 1, the said tension member 5 is provldewwith horizontalledges l3 perforated to 55 receive the dowel member of a flanged seatingplate [4 on which the ends of the lower leaves of the springs rest withfreedom for a limited endwise motion. The seating plates 14 may be madeof any suitable thickness, varying among themselves, so as to beinterchangeable, and therefore, 5 adapted to shim the semi-ellipticsprings to any desired height above the supporting ledges [3 of the sideframes. These semi-elliptic springs are centered in respect to the widthof the side frames.

The numerals l5 represent coiled springs, of which a plurality are usedwith an equal number thereof seated on the spring plank 8 on oppositesides of the leaf springs, and directly adjacent thereto, and whichcoiled springs I5 co-operate 15 with said leaf springs to support thebolster 9 and its load.

The numeral I5 represents a downwardly flanged combined spring cap androller-bearing plate which surmounts and rests upon the saidco-operating sets of leaf and coiled springs, as best shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings, but also is shown in Figs. 1-, 4 and 5 of the drawings.The numerals II represent roller seats on the faces of said plates IS.The numerals I8 represent rollers resting in the seats I! of said platel6 and surmounted by the roller-bearing seats ill on the underfaces ofthe end portions of the bolster 9, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 ofthe drawings. The plates l6 have, at their opposite ends, pairs oflaterally projecting jaws [6a. adapted to embrace the side walls of thebolster columns, and be held thereby from any lateral motion while beingfree for'up and down; or vertical motion with the springs and thebolster. In view of this construction and the mounting of these parts,it is, of course, obvious that the bolsteril is free for up and'down'motion with the plates l6 and the sets of springs, and, at the sametime, it is free'for lateral motion with the rollers l 8 on theroller-bearing II of said plates I6, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 5 ofthe drawings.

Said plates l6 are provided on their underfaces with downwardlyprojecting lugs or ribs l6b 45 extending crosswise" of the truck andspaced apart from each other lengthwise of'the frames,

and which ribs lfib are adapted to engage with the upper ends of thebands l2 of the sets'of leaf springs, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of thedrawings. This interengagement of said parts helps to center the leafsprings in respect to the plates 16 and the bolster 9. In' themodification shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6,

full elliptic springs l9 are employed instead of the semi-ellipticsprings shown in the other views.

451 properly assembled so as to co-operate to sustain To accommodatethese full elliptic springs 19, slight changes are made in the sideframes and in the spring planks. Having regard to the change in the sideframes, the horizontal web of the tension member 5 in that part thereofdirectly below the bolster opening, is provided with a depression 20below its side flanges, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5; and the spring plank2i has corresponding depressed portions 22 extending entirely across thesame and projecting from the opposite sides thereof, as clearly shown inFig. 6, and these depressed portions 22 are cut away at their centers toafford openings 23, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Theseopenings 23 in the said depressed portions 22 of the spring plankcorrespond in size to the central bands 89a of the leaf springs. In viewof this construction, when the spring plank 25 is mounted on the sideframes, in its proper working position, its depressed portions 22 willrest in the depressed portions 20 of the tension member 5 of the sideframe, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the bands 19a of the lower sets ofsprings will rest directly on thefrarne, in virtue of the presence ofthe holes 23 in the depressed portions 22 of the spring plank.

The end portions of the full elliptic springs l9 extend throughthelateral passages i of the columns 6 in the same way as do the ends ofthe semi-elliptic springs shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The

" coiled springs l5 are grouped about the full elliptic springs withtheir lower ends seated on the spring plank in the same way as when usedwith the semi-elliptic springs shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In both forms, shimming plates 24 are shown as located on the springplanks below the lower ends of the coiled springs; which shimming platesmay, of course, be of different thicknesses or more or less thereof usedat the same time to set the coiled springs at the desired height.

All of the other parts used in the modification illustrated in Figs. 4,5 and 6, are the same and related the same way as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

. It has been found out, by extensive tests, that when leaf springs andcoiled springs have been the truck bolster and its load, the springharmonics will either be out out entirely or minimized. The reason whybetter results are secured by such a combination of leaf springs andcoiled springs probably is due to the fact of the different physicalcharacteristics of the two different kinds of springs. When the springsare all of one kind they tend to build up spring harmonics under certainloads, speeds and track conditions in the usage of freight car trucks.In other words the vibrations get into synchronism and becomecumulative. Leaf or plate springs, whether of half-elliptic or fullelliptic form, have slower timings than short heavy coiled springs, andhence, it follows that when the elliptic springs are combined with thecoiled springs, the vibrations will not fall into synchronism.

, The invention herein disclosed and claimed affords an extremely simplestructure for utilizing the principles above stated and, at the sametime, affording lateral motion to the truck bolster and its load.

Special attention is called to the'fact that, in this invention, theleaf springs extend'lengthwise of the side frames across the bolsteropening. This enables all the strains from the bolster and its load tobe taken by the side-frames in the median'planes of said frames, and italso enables longer elliptic or semi-elliptic snrings'tc be employedthan would have to be used if the elliptic springs were set crosswise ofthe frames and lengthwise of the bolster. Being thus able to use longerleaf springs they can be made of carbon steel instead of alloy steelrequired for short elliptic springs, as with the longer springs andcarbon steel the required travel may be obtained. This alloy steel isvery much more expensive than carbon steel, and hence, this inventioneffects a considerable economy in the structures employed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a car truck, the combination with the side frames having lateralpassages through the lower portions of their bolster columns, a bolsterworking between the upper portions of said columns, and a spring plankconnecting said frames, of two sets of springs supporting the oppositeends of said bolster from the opposite side frames, one set of whichsprings are leaf springs extending lengthwise of the frame, across thebolster opening, with their end portions extending through said lateralpassages of said columns, and which leaf springs are supported by saidframes, and the other set of which springs is made up of a plurality ofcoiled springs seated in equal numbers on the end portions of the springplank on the opposite sides of and directly adjacent to said leafsprings and cooperating therewith to sus tain said bolster and its load,combined spring caps and roller bearing plates resting on saidoooperating sets of springs, rollers on the bearings auxiliary springseats located on said tension members between said central portions andthe ends of the frame, springs supported on and spanning said auxiliaryseats, a bolster, means for supporting said bolster, and means providinglongitudinal movement of said bolster.

3. In a railway car truck, thecombination-of spaced side frames each ofwhich has a compression member, a central supporting memberand tensionmembers, columns interposed between said compression and centralsupporting member forming an opening, said central supporting memberbeing provided with a central seat and auxil iary seats located on thetension members'between the central portion and the ends of the frame, aspring plank having its respective ends 1 resting upon the centralportion of the side frames, springs supported by saidspring plank forsupporting a portion of the load, springs sup ported on and spanning theauxiliary seatsiif or supporting the remainder of the loadpabolster insubstantial alignmentwith said openings, and means providing alongitudinal movement of .said bolster.

4. In a railway car truck, the combination of spaced side frames. eachof which has'a' com-J pression member, a horizontally. extending centralsupporting member and tension. members, columns interposed between saidcompressiomand central supporting member forming an opening, saidtension members extending upwardly at an angle from the central portionand uniting with said compression member, auxiliary spring seats locatedon the upwardly extending tension mem bers, springs supported by thecentral portion, springs supported on and spanning said auxiliary seats,a bolster having its ends in substantial alignment with said openings,and means providing longitudinal movement of said bolster.

5. In a railway car truck, the combination of spaced side frames, eachof which has a compression member, a horizontally extending centralsupporting member and tension members, columns interposed between saidcompression member and said central supporting member forming anopening, said tension members extending at an angle from the centralsupporting member and uniting with said compression member, a springplank, the ends of which rest upon the central supporting member,springs supported by said spring plank and extending upwardly betweensaid columns and forming a support for a portion of the load, auxiliaryseats located on the inclined tension members, springs supported on andspanning said auxiliary seats, a bolster having its ends in substantialalignment with said openings, and means providing longitudinal movementof the bolster.

6. In a railway car truck, the combination of spaced side frames each ofwhich has a compression member, a central supporting member and tensionmembers extending upwardly at an angle from the supporting member,columns interposed between said compression and central supportingmember forming an opening, springs supported by said central portion forsupporting a portion of the load, auxiliary spring seats located on theinclined tension members, springs supported on and spanning saidauxiliary seats for supporting the remainder of the load, a bolsterextending through said central opening, and rollers interposed betweenthe springs and the bolster to permit longitudinal movement of thebolster.

7. In a railway car truck, the combination of spaced side frames each ofwhich has a compression member, a central supporting member and tensionmembers inclined upwardly at an angle from the central supportingmember, columns interposed between the compression and centralsupporting members forming an opening, a spring plank resting upon thecentral portions, springs supported by said spring plank for supportinga portion of the load, auxiliary spring seats located on the upwardlyinclined tension members, springs supported on and spanning saidauxiliary seats for supporting the remainder of the load, a bolster, androllers interposed between the bolster and said springs for permittinglongitudinal movement of the bolster.

S. In a railway car truck, the combination of spaced side frames each ofwhich has a compression member, a horizontal central supporting memberand tension members inclined upwardly from the central supporting memberand uniting with the compression member, a spring plank resting upon thecentral portion of each side frame, coil springs supported by the springplank for supporting a portion of the load, auxiliary spring seatslocated on the tension members, laminated springs spanning saidauxiliary seats for supporting the remainder of the load, a bolsterextending in substantial alignment with said openings, and means forproviding longitudinalmoveme-nt of said bolster.

9. In a railway car truck, the combination of side frames each of whichhas a compression member, a central supporting member and tensionmembers inclined upwardly from the supporting members, columnsinterposed between said compression and tension members forming anopening, a bolster extending through said opening, coil springssupported by said central portion and partially supporting the bolster,auxiliary spring seats on said tension members, semi-elliptic springsinterposed between the coil springs and supported on the auxiliary seatsfor additionally supporting the bolster, thereby distributing the loadover a material length of the side frame, a roller seat guided forvertical movement by said columns and carried on said springs, androllers interposed between the roller seat and bolster for permittinglongitudinal movement of said bolster.

EDWIN W. WEBB.

